Crop end deflecting apparatus



June 14, 1938.

J. AHSMITMANS CROP END DEFLECTING APPARATUS s sneets sneet Filed May 10,1935 INVENTOR.

*ZJATTORNEYSY June 1938. J. A. SMITMANS CROP END DEFLECTING APPARATUSFiled May 10, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTCR.

BY ATTCRNEYJ zaix-w-v WITNESSES June 14, 1%38 J. A. SMITMANS CROP ENDDEFLEGTING APPARATUS Filed May 10, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

WITNQSSELS ATTORNEYJ Patented June 14, 1 938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEUnited Engineering & Foundry Company,

Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 10, 1935,Serial No. 20,818

16 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for use with a flying shear fordisposing of the damaged, or short, crop end cuts as they are severedfrom the ends of a moving strip bythe shear.

In the manufacture of metal strip in connection with which thisinvention is more particularly intended for use, although it is notnecessarily so limited, it is usually found that the ends of the stripare damaged or irregular in shape when they leave the rolling mill, andthat it is necessary to remove them before'the strips can be used orsold. When such ends are removed by a flying shear, as they usually are,a problem of separating them from the rest of the strip is presented andit is usually desirable, if not essential, that they be so separated.

With this in mind, it is an object of this invention to provide anapparatus which is adapted to separate the crop ends from the rest ofthe strip 20 as they are severed therefrom by a flying shear,

and in such a way as to prevent them from interfering with'thesubsequent piling or handling of the strip.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of this character which isautomatically operative, sturdy and dependable in structure, and capableof being operated at high speeds.

A further object is to provide for rendering the operation of theapparatus responsive under certain conditions to the strip, and underother conditions to both the strip and the shear with which it is used.

These and various other objects, as well as the various other novelfeatures and advantages of the invention, will be apparent whenthe-following detailed description is read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, of which Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, comprise aseries of schematic views illustrating the mode of operation of acrop-end deflecting apparatus such as is contemplated by the invention;Fig. 5 a plan view of a flying shear and crop-end deflecting apparatusassembled in accordance with the invention; Fig. 6 a sectional viewtaken on the line VI-VI of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 a front view of the deflectorelements and their operating mechanism showing a portion of the housingfor the latter removed; and Fig. 8 a schematic wiring diagram.

of a control system for automatically controlling 50 the operation ofthe deflector and shear.

For an understanding of the general details ,and mode of operation ofthe invention reference may be had to Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings,wherein the numeral 1 designates the blade carriers of a flying shear,the numeral 2, a conveyor for passing a strip 3 through the shear, andthe numeral 4, a deflector element'for deflecting the crop and shortends, as they are severed from the ends of the strip by the shear, outof the way of the rest of the strip. As a rule, as previously stated,these crop ends have to be removed before the strip can be sold or used.Where the strip is to be used without being cut into lengths the shearis, of course, adapted to only remove, these crop ends. Ordinarily,however, it is cut into prescribed lengths, and in such case the shearis adapted to not only automatically produce cuts of selected lengths,but to also automatically make a front end cropping cut, and in someinstances a trailing crop end cut. In all cases, it is desirable todispose of the front and rear cuts separately from the rest of the.strip so that they will not in any way foul it or require its beingrehandled to separate them from it.

For disposing of these crop ends in accordance with this invention, aspace sumcient for such purpose isprovided between the discharge side ofthe shear and the adjacent end of the run-out conveyor 2 to permit theirbeing dropped therethrough out of the way of the rest of the strip. Toinsure their being so removed and the rest of the strip being carriedaway from the shear by the run-out conveyor 2 the deflector element 4 ismounted in this space and adapted to function both as a deflector and aguide. To remove the front end crop it is adjusted before the strip isdelivered to it to the position shown in Fig. 1 and retained in suchposition until after the end of the strip is under it. As soon as thisoccurs and before the front end of the strip following the first cutcan-reach it, it is actuated to the position shown in Fig. 2. In thisway, the front end crop is deflected under the conveyor out of the wayof the rest of the strip and the deflector 4 is adapted to function as aguide, causing the succeeding portion of the strip to be properlydelivered onto the conveyor 2 and thereby carried away from the shear asintended.

To dispose of the crop or short cut removed from the trailing end of thestrip the deflector 4 is lifted upwardly inthe manner shown in Fig. 4 assoon as the last regular cut or the trailing crop end cut is made.

Referring now to the particular embodiment veyor 6 is mounted in frontof it, and for carrying the strip away from it a run-out conveyor 6a isprovided. For disposing of the crop end cuts, as described hereinbefore,a space I0 is provided between the discharge side of the shear and theadjacent end of the run-out conveyor, and in such space a deflector 8 isarranged.

As shown, this deflector 8 consists of a. plurality of spaced armsequipped with suitable rollers II at their free ends for preventing thestrip from being scratched when it is passed over them. At theiropposite ends they are secured to a manipulating shaft l2 which ismounted in a pair of suitable bearing supports l3 and connected by acoupling I4 to a drive shaft I5.

The latter shaft I 5 is mounted in suitable bearings in a housing l6 andequipped with a crank l1 which is flexibly connected by a link i 8 to apower-actuated slide head l9 arranged for guided movement in an opening2| provided therefor in the rear wall of the housing l6. At the oppositeend of such head there is attached a drive rod 22 which is slidablymounted in a cylindrical sleeve 23 attached for reciprocation to thepiston 26 of a hydraulic-motor 24.

This motor, which is of the double action type, is used for compressinga pair of coil type pressure springs 21 and 28 that are in turn used toimpart a very rapid action to the crank i1 and hence the deflector 8whenever either one of them is released after being compressed by themotor 24. One of these springs is mounted on the drive rod 22 with oneof its ends bearing against the head l8 to which the front end of therod 22 is connected and the other against the adjacent end of the sleeve23 surrounding the drive rod and to which the piston 26 of the motor isconnected. The other one is mounted in a similar fashion on the driverod 22 at the opposite side of the motor 24 with its one end bearingagainst the rear end of the sleeve 23 attached to the piston 26 of themotor 24', and the other against a collar 29 adjustably secured to theouter end of the rod by an adjusting nut 3|.

For controlling the operation of these deflector actuating springs 21and 28, a pair of latches 36 and 31 is pivotally mounted in the housing16 to engage a pair of cams 34 and 35 provided on a pair of upwardlyprojecting arms 32 and 33 secured to the drive shaft l5 at the two sidesof the crank l1. For in turn controlling the operation of these latchesthey are connected at their outer ends by a pair of rods 38 and 39 tothe armatures 4| and 42 of a pair of electromagnets 43 and 44 equippedwith suitable actuating solenoids 45 and 46 which are mounted on top ofthe housing l6.

To elevate the deflector 8 to its upper position, shown in Fig. 1 and infull lines in Fig. 6,.

the motor 24 is first operated to place the spring 28 under compression.During such operation the piston 26 and sleeve 23 are actuated to theleft, and the spring 28 compressed. The solenoid 46 is then energizedand the latch 31 lifted out of contact with cam 35. This permits thespring 28 to rapidly move the drive rod 22 and crank 11 in the forwarddirection, carrying the deflector to its upper position shown in Fig. 6.When moved to such position the latch 36 drops by gravity intoengagement with the forward end of the adjacent cam 34, the solenoid 45being deenergized at such time. The motor 24 is then operated to movethe piston 26 and sleeve 23 to the right and thereby place the spring 21under compression in readiness to actuate the drive rod 22 in thereverse direction. When it is (16- sired to lower the deflector, thesolenoid 46 isv deenergized and the solenoid 45 energized. This liftsthe latch 36 and releases spring 21, causingthe deflector to move to itslower position. When it reaches such position the latch 31 again dropsinto engagement with the rear end of the cam 35, the piston 26' of themotor is then again operated to its rearward position, and the spring 28once more placed under compression in readiness to return the deflectorback to its upper position.

While the motor 24 may be operated manually, it is preferably operatedautomatically. For this reason the valve 41 for controlling its supplyof fluid under pressure which is furnished by a supply line 48 ismounted on top of the drive housing 16 and equipped with an actuatinglever '49 that is arranged to be actuated by upwardly projecting endsprovided on the rods 38 and 39 connected to the armatures 4| and 42 ofthe magnets 43 and 44 which are extended upwardly through the tops ofthe magnets 43 and 44, being equipped with springs 5i and 52 to adaptthem to reverse the valve only when the latches 36 and 31 drop intotheir cam-engaging positions.

With such an arrangement, it will be readily appreciated that themanipulation of the deflector 8 may be effected in any manner desired bymerely providing'the necessary control for the electromagnets 43 and 44,and which may be widely varied in design. To automatically carry out theoperation described in connection with Figs. 1 to 4, however, theelectrical control system illustrated schematically in Fig. 8 isprovided. To operate such system a source of current supply L1 and L2 isprovided and connected by a switch 53 to a pair of line conductors M1and M2 which comprise a part of the system proper. To these latterconductors M1 and M2 the solenoids 45 and 46 of the electromagnets 43and 44 are connected by an electromagnetic switch 54. The circuit. forthe solenoid 45 is traced from the line conductor M1 by way of aconductor 55, through the solenoid to a pair of bridging contacts 540.on the switch 54 and thence to the line conductor M2. The circuit forthe other solenoid 46 is traced from line conductor M1 by way of aconductor 56 through the solenoid to a pair of bridging contacts 5412 onthe switch 54 and thence to the line conductor m. To make and breakthese circuits the switch 54 is provided with a normally open bridgingmember 540 for bridging the contacts 54a and a normally closed bridgingmember 54d which bridges the contacts 54b. With this arrangement thesolenoid 46 is normally energized with the result that the latch 31 isnormally held in its released position and the driveshaft l5 normallyactuated as a result to a position holding the deflector to lineconductor M2.

When the leading end of a strip 20 approaching the shear strikes theswitch 58, it causes it to close, and in doingso closes the circuit 51,thereby closing the switch 54. With the closing of the the interlock 54on the switch 54. On this drum latter, the circuit 58 for the solenoidis opened and the circuit 55 for the solenoid 45 closed. Thisdeenergizes the solenoid 48 and energizes the solenoid 45. Theenergizing of the latter lifts the latch 38 and causes the shaft I5 tobe actuated by the spring 21 in the forward direction, moving thedeflector to its lower position. As soon as it reaches such position thelatch 81 falls to its cam-engaging position and the valve 41 is actuatedas previously described to operate the hydraulic motor 24 and compressthe spring 28.

In order that the deflector 8 will be actuated in such a way that the'front end crop will be deflected downwardly and the remainder of thestrip passed onto the run-out conveyor 8a, an adjustable relay 58 isemployed whichcan be adjusted according to the speed of the strip tocause the deflector to be operated at just the proper instant. Timerelay relays of this character are so well known that it is deemedunnecessary to describe the relay in detail. erably it is adjusted sothat the deflector is operated downwardly as soon as the trailing end ofthe strip gets under thedeflec'tor and before the first cut is made bythe shear.

The flag 58 may be also adapted to keep the switch 54 energized untilafter the trailing .end of the strip is out of the shear under whichcircumstances the trailing end crop is passed through the shear with therest of the strip. It

may be also adapted to open the actuating circuit 51 for the switch 54as soon as the trailing end of the stock passes over it. Under thesecircumstances a second flag switch 58 is employed to regulate theoperation of the switch 54 so that the last out, if below a selectedlength shorter than the regular cuts, will be deflected under therun-out conveyor 8a by the deflector. To accomplish such end the switch59 is located between the switch 58 and the shear and at a distance fromthe latter which is less than the length 'of the regular cuts, and isconnected by a circuit 8i across the coil 54s of the switch 54 in shuntrelation to the flag switch 58. To prevent the flag 59 from closing theswitch 54 before it is closed by the switch 58, the circuit 8| is tracedthrough an interlock 54) on the switch 54. Hence the circuit 81 cannotbe completed until after both switches 58 and 54 have been closed.

With this latter arrangement, the switch 54 is held closed until thetrailing end of the strip passes over the flag 59, at which time itopens. When it opens, the circuit 55 to the solenoid 45 is broken andthe circuit 58 to the solenoid 48 is closed. The latter releases thelatch 81 and hence the spring 28 which tends to lift the deflector toits upper position, but is prevented from doing so until the last out ismade. Should the pressure of the spring 28 be so great as to cause thedeflector to bear too strongly against the strip under thesecircumstances, the nut 8| may be adjusted to relieve the pressure onsuch spring.

To control the deflector so that the spring 28 will positively not bereleased until after the last out is made, which may be desirable incertain circumstances, a second shunt circuit 82 is provided andarranged in shunt relation to both the flag switches 58and 58, and isadapted to control the operation of the switch 54 thereafter in timedrelation with the shear after the switch 58 opens. As shown, thiscircuit is traced like the circuit 8| from the Mr side of the switch 58through a drum type switch 88 to the coil 54c by way of Pref-,

switch 88, which is driven in timed relation with the shear, there areprovided a continuous conductor 88a and an interrupted conductor 83bconnected together by a conductor 88c and both I connected to thecircuit 82 by suitable brushes 88d and 886. The interrupted conductor88b is broken at only one place and this arranged to pass under thebrush 88a in timed relation with the movement of the cutting blades intocutting of the cutting blade that the circuit through the coil 54e willbe broken to energize the circuit 58. and release the latch.81 at theinstant the last cut is made.

Where the shear is adapted to make a cut with each rotation a directdrive may be used on the drum switch 88. If, however, the shear is ofthe typewhich may be adjusted to miss cuts or is designed to producecuts on only selected multi- 'ples of rotation, an adjustable drive,such as indicated at 84, may be employed, being adjusted in each instantto cause the switch 88 to have the same period of operation'as theshear.

As a further feature,,the control system shown is also provided withmeans for automatically starting and stopping the shear 5 in response tothe strip. This means comprises a flag 85 which is arranged in thedelivery conveyor 8 in front of the flag 58 and connected in a circuit88 which closes a relay 81 when it is itself closed by the strip. Thisrelay is in turn arranged in a circuit 88 which connects the drivingmotor 89 for the shear to the line conductors M1 and M2 and starts thatmotor as soon as the flag switch 85 is closed. To keep the shear movingafter the trailing end of the strip passes over the flag 85 and until itIn practicing the invention the flag switch 58 is first adjusted inaccordance with the delivery speed of the strip so that the deflectorwill properly dispose of the front end-crop. The flag 58 is thenadjustedto select the length of the trailing out which it will bedeflected away from the run-out conveyor 8a by the deflector, the flag59 being adjustably mounted for such purpose. The. switch 58 is thenclosed and the. strip delivered to the shear.

When the front end of the strip strikes the flag 85 the relay 81 isclosed and the shear started. Next the flag 58 is struck and the circuit8| closed as soon as the end of the strip passes under the deflector 8.With the closing of this circuit the switch 54 is closed and thesolenoids 48 and 45 deenergized and energized respectively. This causesthe latch 88 to be raised and the spring 21 to be released. Thedeflector 8 is thereby operated downwardly to its lower position,carrying the front end crop with it. As soon as the deflector reachesits lower position and the cams 84 and 85 their forward positions, thelatch 81 drops into engagement with the cam 85 and the rod 88 operatesthe valve 41 causing the motor 24 10 opposition or at such a point inthe movement to compress the spring 28 and places it in readiness toraise the deflector when the latch 81 is made and causing the lastlength to pass undertrol of the shear motor. When the trailing end ofthe strip passes over the flag 58, the switch 54 is either held closedby delayed operation of this flag as previously described, or by theflag 59, or by both'it and the drum switch 63 if both are used. If onlythe flag 59 is used, the switch 54 is opened as soon as the trailing endof the strip passes such switch. This causes the solenoid 45 to bedeenergized and the solenoid 46 to be reenergized. When such occurs thelatch 31 is lifted, the spring 28 released, and the deflector raisedagainst the strip, lifting the latter up as the last out is If the drumswitch 63 is used along with the flag switch 59, the switch 54 is heldclosed after the strip passes over the flag 59 until the interruption inthe conductor band 63b passes under the brush 639 which it does in timedrelation with the movement of the shear blades and causes the latch 36to be released at the instant the last regular cut is made.

As will be appreciated from the foregoing, and as will be apparent tothose skilled in the art, this invention provides a very effective wayfor separating the crop ends from the rest of the strip and greatlyfacilitates their disposal, It will also be obvious that it can bepracticed in various ways and by various other means than thatillustrated, and such is contemplated by the appended claims.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained theprinciple and mode of operation of my invention, and have illustratedand described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment.However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of theappended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than asspecifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away fromsaid shear the stock which is passed through it, an adjustable deflectorarranged in the delivery path of said conveying means for deflecting thestock away,from it, means independent of the shear for actuating saiddeflecting means, and means responsive to the stock for controlling theoperation of said actuating means. l

2. In combination with a strip working device, means for conveyingtherefrom the strip being worked, means actuated independently of thework device for deflecting. selected portions of the strip out of thepath of said conveying means, and electrical means responsive to thestrip for controlling the operation of said deflecting means.

3. In combination with a work device, means for conveying away-from saidwork device the stock which is passed through it, means disposed in saidconveying means for selectively deflecting the stock operated upon bythe work device out means, and means set in motion by each piece of.

stock entering the work device for automatically controlling theoperation of the deflecting means.

4. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away fromsaid shear the stock which is passed through it, a deflector elementarranged at the discharge side of the shear for deflecting .the crop endcuts out of the path of said conveyor, means for actuating saiddeflector element, means set in motion by the front end of a piece ofstock entering the shear for controlling said actuating means to disposeof the first cut, and means responsive to the trailing end of the stockfor controlling the operation of said actuating means to dispose of thelast out.

5. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away fromsaid shear the stock which is passed through it, an adjustable deflectordisposed at the discharge side of the shear to deflect the strip out ofthe path of. the conveyor when in one position and to guide it onto saidconveyor when in another position, means for actuating said deflector,means responsive to the leading end of the stock entering the shear forcontrolling the operation of said actuating means to dispose of thefirst cut, and means jointly responsive to the trailing end of thestockand the movement of the shear for controlling the operation of saidactuating means to dispose of the last out.

6. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away fromsaid shear the stock which is passed through it, an adjustable deflectorarranged at the discharge side of the shear for deflecting the stockaway from said conveyor, means for actuating said deflecting means, atime delay relay disposed to be set in motion by the leading end of thestock entering the shear for controlling the actuation of said actuatingmeans.

7. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away fromsaid shear the stock passed through it, means for deflecting selectedportions of the strip out of the path of said conveying means, means foractuating said deflecting means, means responsive to the leading end ofthe stock entering the shear for controlling said actuating means todispose of the first cut, additional means responsive to the trailingend of the stock passing through the shear for controlling the operationof said actuating means to dispose of the last cut, and means operatedby the shear for supplementing the last mentioned means to efiect anadjustment of said deflecting means in timed relation with the shear.

8. In combination with a flying shear, a. conveyor for carrying thestock being worked in the shear away from it, a pivotally mounteddeflector element arranged between said shear and conveyor, means forelevating said deflector to deflect selected lengths of the stock underthe conveyor as it issues from the shear or lower it to guide the striponto the conveyor, spring means for actuating said deflector, powermeans for placing said spring means under tension, releasable latchingmeans for controlling the operation of said deflector by said springs,and means responsive to the strip for controlling the operation of saidlatching means.

' 9. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away fromsaid shear the stock which is passed through it, means disposed at thedischarge side of the shear ior selectively deflecting portions'of thestock operated upon out of the path of the conveyor, spring means foractuating said deflector means, power means for placing said springsunder tension, latching means for controlling the release of said springmeans and means operated with said latching means for automaticallycontrolling the operation of said power means.

10.' In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away fromsaid shear the stock said actuating means to dispose of the first andlast cuts respectively.

11. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away fromsaid shear the stock which is passed through it, an adjustable deflectordisposed at the discharge side of the shear to deflect selected cuts ofthe strip out of the path of the conveyor, means independent of theshear for actuating said deflector, means responsive to the stockentering the shear for controlling the starting and stopping of theshear, and means also responsive to the stock for controlling theoperation of said deflector actuating means.

12. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying from saidshear the stock which is passed through it, an adjustable deflectorarranged at the discharge side of the shear for defleeting the stockunder or onto said conveying means, means'for actuating said deflectingmeans, means responsive to the stock for controlling the operation ofsaid actuating means in one direction, and means jointly responsive tothe stock and shear for controlling the operation of said actuatingmeans in the other direction.

13. In combination with a flying shear, a conveyor for carrying stockfrom said shear, a deflector element located at the discharge side ofthe shear for guiding cuts of the stock under or onto said conveyor, ashaft for pivotally supporting said deflector, a crank connected to saidshaft, a drive rod connected to said rod, a pair of coil springs mountedon the ends of said rod, an element for selectively subjecting saidsprings to pressure for operating said rod in different directions, amotor for actuating said latter element, means connected to said shaftfor locking the shaft in selected positions, latch means associatedtherewith and means for actuating said latches to thereby selectivelyoperate said deflector by releasing said springs.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13 provided with means operated bysaid latch means for automatically operating said motor.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13 which includes means responsiveto the strip entering the shear for controlling the operation of saidlatch means. I i

16. In combination with a flying shear, means for conveying away fromsaid shear the stock which is passed through it, means disposedat thedischarge side of the shear for selectively deflecting portions of thestock operated upon out of the path 01' the conveyor, spring means foractuating said deflector means in one direction, other spring means foractuating said deflector in the other direction, power means operativeto place both of said spring means under tension, latchlog means forcontrolling the operation of said spring means, and means operated bysaid latching means ior automatically controlling the operation of saidpower means.

JOHN A. S'MITMANS.

